There are many types of limited use or disposable protective apparel designed to provide barrier properties. One type of protective apparel is protective coveralls. Coveralls can be used to effectively seal off a wearer from a harmful environment in ways that open or cloak style garments such as, for example, drapes, gowns and the like are unable to do. Accordingly, coveralls have many applications where isolation of a wearer is desirable. For a variety of reasons, it is undesirable for hazardous liquids and/or pathogens which may be carried by liquids to pass through protective apparel. It is also highly desirable to use protective apparel to isolate persons from dusts, powders, and other particulates which may be present in a work place or accident site. Generally speaking, protective apparel rely on the barrier properties of the fabrics used in their construction. Some of these fabrics may even have received treatments to enhance barrier properties. However, barrier performance of protective apparel also depends on the design and construction of the apparel. Apparel containing many seams may be unsatisfactory, especially if the seams are located in positions where they may be subjected to stress and/or direct contact with hazardous substances. For example, seams that join sleeves to the body portion of protective coveralls are often subjected to stress. Moreover, sleeve seams in the front of coveralls and about the shoulder are at locations of frequent accidental splashing, spraying and/or other exposures. After use, it can be quite costly to decontaminate protective apparel that has been exposed to hazardous substances. Thus, it is important that protective apparel be inexpensive so as to be disposable. Generally speaking, protective coveralls are made from barrier materials/fabrics engineered to be relatively impervious to liquids and/or particulates. The cost of such materials as well as the coveralls' design and construction are important factors affecting cost. Desirably, all of these factors should be suited for the manufacture of protective coveralls at such low cost that it may be economical to discard the coveralls after only a single use.
Protective coveralls must be worn correctly to reduce the chance of exposure. Workers are more likely to wear protective coveralls properly if the coveralls are comfortable. One way to increase comfort is to have the coveralls fit well. Protective coveralls containing many separate panels, pieces, dissimilar materials and/or elastic components may tend to fit well but are generally more complex and difficult to manufacture quickly. Complex and relatively inefficient manufacturing processes can eliminate the cost advantages provided by inexpensive materials. Moreover, an increased number of seams and/or the presence of dissimilar materials can increase the chance of exposure. Thus, a need exists for inexpensive protective coveralls having desirable barrier properties, a reduced number of seams and a seamless shoulder construction. There is still a need for such protective coveralls suited for high-speed manufacturing and converting processes. For example, a need exists for protective coveralls manufactured from two seamless sheets of an inexpensive barrier material such that the coveralls are relatively impermeable to liquids and/or particulates and so inexpensive as to be disposable while also having a reduced number of seams and a seamless shoulder construction.